October 25, 2010

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Monday, October 25, 2010        Edition: #4371
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WEEKEND TABLOID & BLOG BS:
• After months & months of talking about it, they finally did it! Pop singer Katy Perry & Brit actor-comedian Russell Brand wed in an hour-long Hindu ceremony in front of family & friends at the Aman-I-Khas resort in Jaipur, northern India. Among the rituals they performed: Sitting on ornate thrones; walking around a fire 7 times while reciting mantras; and tying a special wedding scarf together. Brand is reported to have bought his new bride a female Bengal tiger, who lives in the Ranthambhore National Park, as a wedding gift. (Wow, romantic AND practical!)
– UsMagazine.com
• Elton John has revealed he turned down the chance to join the “American Idol” judging panel, but refused because he finds TV talent shows ‘boring’ and ‘brain crippling’. Now music mogul Simon Cowell is hitting back, telling Britain’s “Sunday Mirror” that if Elton doesn’t like the shows, he should try to nurture new stars himself. (He did – remember Kiki Dee? Oh, guess not.)
– Mirror.com.uk
• 40-year-old actor Matt Damon’s wife Luciana Barroso has given birth to the couple’s 4th daughter, named Stella Zavala Damon. The family already includes Isabella (4), Gia (2), and Barroso’s 11-year-old daughter Alexis from a previous relationship. Damon & Barroso wed in 2005. (5 females and 1 male in the household … good luck, bud!)
– People.com
• Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart are reportedly planning to take some time off to travel after shooting the last instalment in the “Twilight” series, “Breaking Dawn”. Insiders say that in future they want to achieve a ‘Johnny Depp level of fame’, so they only act when they want and enjoy peace & quiet when they don’t. Right now, neither has accepted a role after “Twilight” so they may be able to take a whole year off. The source says they think it’ll do them good to disappear for a while as they’re both in danger of being overexposed. (Ya think?)
– “More!”
• 24-year-old actress Lea Michele is reportedly upset she’s being given fewer solos on “Glee” (FOX). The ‘Rachel Berry’ actress is said to be miffed the 2nd season is focused less on her and more on other characters. An insider says it’s not easy being around Lea on set; she’s put several people’s backs up and it’s showing no sign of improving. Because Lea has a Broadway background, it seems she thinks the show was made for her. (The off-camera story sounds even more intriguing than the on-.)
– “Star Magazine”
• And the Vatican newspaper, “L’Osservatore Romano”, is claiming that ‘Homer Simpson’ is a Catholic, although he does everything he can to hide it. The paper says “The Simpsons” is among the few TV programs for children in which faith, religion, and questions about God are recurrent themes. It claims the show explores issues such as family, community, education, and religion in a way that few other popular TV programs match. (Hey, now … what about the deeply philosophical “Two-and-a-Half Men”?)
– Telegraph.co.uk

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Daily Show With Jon Stewart” (Comedy Central/CTV) – Tonight through Thursday “When Grizzlies Attack: The Daily Show Midterm Teapartyganza” is being taped at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harman Hall in Washington DC.
NET: http://www.indecisionforever.com
• “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC/CTV) – The remaining couples perform.
• “Ellen DeGeneres Show” (syndicated/A Channel) – One eskimO (“One eskimO”).
• “Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony” (LA) – At the awards portion of the just completed “Hollywood Film Festival”, Annette Bening & Robert Duvall take the top acting trophies; Helena Bonham Carter & Sam Rockwell win for supporting actors; Zach Galifianakis wins ‘Comedy Actor’; and ‘Breakthrough’ awards go to the new ‘Spider-Man’, Andrew Garfield, and “Alice In Wonderland” actress Mia Wasikowska.
NET: http://bit.ly/dhAToF
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/CityTV) – K’naan (“Troubador”).
• “Last Call With Carson Daly” (NBC) – Weezer (“Hurley”).
• “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/A Channel) – Norah Jones (“The Fall”).
• “Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS/Omni) – Kings of Leon (“Come Around Sundown”).

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Celine Dion – She’s become a mom again, giving birth to twins in West Palm Beach, Florida on Saturday morning. The boys were born a minute apart and all are said to be doing well even though the births were premature. Their 9-year-old sib Réné-Charles has already visited his new brothers at the hospital.
• Depeche Mode – Frontman Dave Gahan has taken delivery of a full-sized church pipe organ at his Montauk NY home. Bet the neighbors are thrilled.
• Diddy – Since he became brand spokesman for Ciroc, the vodka brand has increased sales
from 60,000 cases to 400,000 cases per year. Love him or hate him, the guy can sell.
• Kings of Leon – Frontman Caleb Followill tells “News Of the World” they used to wake up at 3 pm, do sound check, have dinner & drink 2 bottles of wine, then drink another before going onstage. Then they’d take a bunch of pills, drink another bottle onstage, followed by a bowl of cocaine. He says they’ve since cleaned up their wild ways, in part so they can … perform in bed.
• Taylor Swift – Today she releases her 3rd studio album, “Speak Now”, worldwide. A few notes …
– She wrote all of the album’s 14 songs.
– Music biz types speculate it could sell more than 1 million units in its debut week. The last album to do that was Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” in 2008.
– When asked by “People” magazine if the track “Dear John” is about John Mayer, she ‘widened her eyes and avoided answering the question’.
– She’s performing a webcast concert at the UN in NYC (CMT.com/MTV.com/VH1.com) at 7 pm ET to mark the release.
– 4 contest winners at the show will be chosen to join her on a cross-country flight from NYC to LA.

DO YOU WORK WITH A WITCH?
Australia’s leading witch, Gold Coast-based Dr Shé D’Montford, says there are at least 130,000 witches in Australia, mostly office-working women. Through her magazine, “Spellcraft”, the world’s most widely read witch periodical, she educates the community about the craft. She says  that Queensland, like many areas of the world, are only just starting to accept the practice as a real religion. (Top sign you work with a witch: Eye of newt splattered all over the inside of the lunchroom microwave.)
– “The Bulletin”

PASS THE ANTS, PLEASE:
Insects may become the next food frontier for space cuisine during extended missions. A long stay on Mars, for example, would require travelers to grow their own food but a vegetable- and grain-based diet doesn’t efficiently supply fats and amino acids. Japanese researchers believe that insects, which reproduce rapidly and often consume materials inedible to humans, could help fill in nutritional gaps. The scientists have already made cookies from silkworms. (We’ll wait for the maggot burgers, thank-you.)
– “Discover Magazine”

HALLOWEEN BY THE NUMBERS:
• The average  Halloween observer now spends $66.45 on the occasion.
• Adult costume parties on Halloween first became popular during the 1920s.
• The term ‘trick or treat’ first appeared at the beginning of World War II.
• Halloween traditions are now especially being driven by Boomers (the product of the 1950s and 60s), a generation noted for their reluctance to give up the things of childhood.
– “Los Angeles Times”

GENDER & THE UNDEAD:
The current preoccupation with zombies and vampires seems to have become polarized. Vampires have become the undead of choice for females, and zombies for males. Observers think that’s because young girls don’t want to think about the full beastliness of our bodies. On the other hand zombies, like boys, are not subtle. They’re all about splatter and gore and entrails. (That’s what little boys are made of.)
– “The Guardian”

IZ ALL GENEDIC, HONESHLY:
It seems it’s true … some people can hold their booze better than others. University of North Carolina researchers have found a ‘tipsy’ gene (CYP2E1) that causes some people to feel alcohol’s effects quicker than others. 10%-to-20% of people have some version of the gene. It’s thought it may offer some protection against alcoholism, because those who react strongly to alcohol are less likely to become addicted. (Is there also a ‘Won’t Admit They’re Drunk’ gene?)
– BBC News

BS AMAZING FACTS:
• Labrador dogs shake their bodies to dry off at a frequency of 4.3 Hz. (Twap-twap-twap. Hear that?)
– Guardian.co.uk
• According to a new Nielsen poll, a third of iPad owners haven’t bothered to download any apps. (A very slow 1% haven’t yet used their iPad at all because they’re waiting for the iPencil.)
– ZDnet.com

BS CHRONOMETER 10.25.10

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1958 [52] Mark Miller, Dayton OH, country singer (frontman/founder of Sawyer Brown-“Drive Me Wild”, “Some Girls Do”)

1962 [48] Chad Smith, St Paul MN, rock drummer (Red Hot Chili Peppers-“Snow [Hey Oh]”, “Dani California”)

1970 [40] Ed Robertson, Toronto ON, pop singer/guitarist (Barenaked Ladies-“Another Postcard”, “One Week”)

1970 [40] Chely Wright, Kansas City MO, country singer (“Single White Female”, “It Was”)

1971 [39] Craig Robinson, Chicago IL, TV actor (‘Darryl Philbin’ on “The Office” since 2005)/TV host (“Last Comic Standing” 2010)/movie actor (“Pineapple Express”, “Hot Tub Time Machine”)

1984 [26] Katy Perry (Hudson), Santa Barbara CA, pop singer (“Teenage Dream”, “California Gurls”)/Mrs Russell Brand since Saturday

1984 [26] Austin Winkler, Oklahoma City OK, rock singer (Hinder-“Use Me”, “Lips Of an Angel”)

1985 [25] Ciara (Harris), Austin TX, pop singer (f/Ludacris-Ride”, “Goodies”)

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Cartoonists Against Crime Day”, honoring cartoonists, graphic artists, and illustrators who promote crime prevention through drawings. (Stop varmint … or I’ll draw!)

• “International Greasy Foods Day”, a celebration of our love of fatty foods, foods cooked in oil, foods smothered in butter, etc. One of the grossest we’ve heard of is the Dutch tradition of saving bacon grease or ‘spek’, then spreading it cold on toast.

• “Labour Day” in New Zealand, a public holiday held annually on the 4th Monday in October. Its origins go back to the 8-hour workday movement that arose in the Wellington colony in 1840.

• “Punk For a Day Day”, so get on your faux-hawk, your stick-on tats, your imitation leather and strut your stuff!

• “World Pasta Day”, honoring one of Italy’s greatest gifts to the world. (See “Bull’s Bits”.)
NET: http://www.pasta-unafpa.org/pasta-day.htm

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
1960 [50] Mick Jagger accidentally meets old school acquaintance Keith Richards on a train, eventually leading to the formation of the Rolling Stones

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1955 [55] 1st home ‘Microwave Oven’ is introduced by the Tappan Co, which slaps a $1,200 price tag on the new appliance that ‘cooks eggs in 22 seconds, bacon in 90 seconds’

1960 [50] 1st ‘Electronic Wristwatch’ introduced by Bulova (before that, everyone had to wind their watch each day!)

1982 [28] The name of Canada’s July 1st national holiday is officially changed from ‘Dominion Day’ to ‘Canada Day’

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1991 [19] 33-year-old Jack Feeser sets the unofficial ‘World Car Kissing Record’ in Hanover, Pennsylvania by smooching a Geo Storm for 145 hours, 14 minutes in order to win the vehicle from an auto dealership

1998 [12] Denver Broncos kicker Jason Elam boots a 63-yard field goal in the thin air of Mile High Stadium, tying Tom Dempsey’s 28-year-old NFL record (it still stands)

COMING UP . . .
[Tues] Mincemeat Day
[Tues] Worldwide Howl At the Moon Night
[Wed] Cranky Co-Workers Day
[Thurs] Day of International Concern About Young People & Gun Violence
[Thurs] Plush Animal Lover’s Day
[Fri] Frankenstein Friday

THIS WEEK IS . . .
Disarmament Week / Give Wildlife a Break Week / International Infection Control Week / International Magic Week / Pastoral Care Week / Peace, Friendship & Goodwill Week / Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week / Respiratory Care Week / World Hearing Aid Awareness Week / World Origami Days

BULL’S BITS

BEST OF BS:
A highlight bit culled from 17 years of “Bull Sheet” back issues …
BS CAR MODEL OR PASTA TYPE?
You run down the list rapid-fire while a contestant or studio guest tries to decide whether each is the name of a vehicle model or a type of pasta …
• Murano [vehicle … Nissan]
• Montero [vehicle … Mitsubishi]
• Quadretti [pasta]
• Quattroporte [vehicle … Maserati]
• Sonoma [vehicle … GMC]
• Filini [pasta]
• Amoretti [pasta]
• Miata [vehicle … Mazda]
• Risino [pasta]
• Funghini [pasta]
NET: http://www.FreeRadioPrep.com

BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s the strangest real name you’ve heard of that someone’s had to bear? (A few from our ‘real person, odd name’ collection: Guertha Rice, Melvina Schadee, Narcisco Yipes, Olga Diplock.)

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Scientists have discovered that the fastest animal on Earth, with a top speed of 120 feet per second, is a moose … that’s been dropped out of a helicopter.

BS FICTIONAL FRATS:
We tell you the fraternity; you tell us the movie or TV show in which it was featured …
• Delta Iota Kappa (DIK) … “Van Wilder”.
• Lambda Lambda Lambda … “Revenge Of the Nerds”.
• Kappa Epsilon Gamma (KEG) … “90210”.
• Sigma Lambda Omega (SLO) … “Saturday Night Live”.
• Delta Tau Chi … “Animal House”.
– TTP

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Today’s Question: The average guy does THIS 3 or 4 times a week after reaching age 28.
Answer to Give Out Next Show: Checks for hair-loss or balding.

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Kindness consists of loving people more than they deserve.

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